Cybercrime forces to be beefed up as part of security plan, say reports

Home Secretary Theresa May told a meeting of European ministers in Poland that the money would be used to tackle cybercrime, according to eGov Monitor.

EGov Monitor said that May revealed the figure when addressing interior ministers from France, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain in Krakow.

The Home Office did not confirm the figure but said that the funds would be used to "develop the UK's overall response to cyber crime".

"The Government is determined to build an effective law enforcement response to the cyber crime threat building upon the existing expertise within SOCA and the Met Police Central e-Crime Unit," said a Home Office statement.

Last October the Government published its security strategy, which identified computer and network attacks as one of the four biggest threats to UK security. The strategy said that such attacks could come from other countries, organised crime groups or terrorists.